Anxiety is a common experience for many people, but for those with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), it is a constant and overwhelming struggle. This condition causes worry that is not only persistent but also exhausting and difficult to control. In the United States, about one in twenty adults suffers from GAD, and for many, daily life can feel extremely challenging.

People with severe GAD often find it hard to leave home, keep a job, or maintain social relationships. While standard medications can help some individuals, many do not see significant improvement, and the side effects can sometimes make their condition worse.

Now, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found a potential new way to ease anxiety, and it comes from an unexpected source: a medical form of LSD.

Understanding Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Generalised anxiety disorder is more than just occasional stress or worry. It is a long-term condition that causes people to think about everyday events in an exaggerated and often unnecessary way. This constant state of worry can disrupt concentration, decision-making, and memory, and can lead to feelings of exhaustion, irritability, and depression.

The body also suffers. Continuous worry activates the body's fight-or-flight response, leading to an overproduction of stress hormones. This can result in physical symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches, difficulty breathing, ringing in the ears, or digestive issues. For many people, the anxiety feels as real in the body as it does in the mind.

Why Current Treatments Are Not Enough

GAD is typically treated with antidepressants like Zoloft or Paxil. These drugs work by increasing the level of serotonin, a brain chemical that regulates mood. However, these treatments often take weeks to show any effect and only slightly reduce anxiety, usually by about 1.25 points on a standard 56-point anxiety scale. For those with severe symptoms, this level of improvement is often not enough.

That is why researchers like Dr Jennifer Mitchell, a neuroscientist at UCSF, are looking for new treatments. Her work explores how psychedelic compounds may help to reshape the brain's emotional circuits in a safe and controlled environment.

A New Treatment: MM120

The drug Dr Mitchell's team is studying is called MM120, a laboratory-made form of LSD intended for medical use. Unlike recreational LSD, which is unpredictable and dangerous if used outside of a controlled setting, MM120 is carefully formulated and administered under medical supervision.

The idea behind MM120 is that it promotes neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form new connections and break down unhealthy patterns of thought. It also helps improve communication between different parts of the brain, which may reduce the rigid and repetitive thinking that leads to anxiety.

Early Results Show Promise

In a recent study published in the journal JAMA, nearly 200 people with moderate to severe GAD were given a single dose of MM120 and followed for 12 weeks. The results were impressive; on average, their anxiety scores dropped by five to six points compared to those receiving a placebo.

This improvement was significantly greater than what is usually seen with current treatments, sometimes enough to change a diagnosis from moderate to mild anxiety. For a single dose, the effects were both strong and long-lasting.

Side Effects and Safety Measures

All participants were closely watched by trained medical professionals after taking the drug. The most common side effects were mild to moderate and included visual changes, nausea, headaches, and temporary hallucinations.

Interestingly, the strongest dose did not produce better results than lower doses, so future tests will use smaller amounts. Researchers also found that nausea, a common reaction to psychedelics, could be managed by providing participants with a light meal and anti-nausea medication before treatment.

A Future for Anxiety Treatment

While more research is still needed, the findings so far suggest that treatments based on LSD, like MM120, could one day change how anxiety disorders are treated. By helping the brain move away from rigid, fearful patterns of thought, this approach may offer lasting relief where traditional medications fall short.

It is still early in this research, but for millions of people living with chronic anxiety, these results offer hope, that science might finally provide a new way to calm the restless mind.

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